Travel itineraries help keep all of your important travel arrangement information in one place for easy reference. Kept in the front of a folder full of all your brochures, tickets and confirmation receipts, an itinerary gives you an easier way to find information when you are on the road than digging through all those oddly shaped papers. Whether you are writing an itinerary for yourself or for your job, the basic information you should include is the same.

Title the itinerary with the trip dates and primary destination or trip purpose. If you are preparing multiple itineraries for different people, place the name of the person for whom you are preparing the itinerary at the top of the page as well.

Detail the first flight or leg of travel with the departing location and time, arrival location and time, flight or train number and the airline or carrier. List any seat and gate information available and what time the traveler needs to be checked in by. List the reservation confirmation number and a customer service phone number in case there are any difficulties along the way.

Provide details on the second leg of travel if there is one before the first destination. If there is a connecting flight, note how much time the traveler will have to get from one flight to another so that if the first leg of travel is delayed he can make arrangements for the connection.

Include meeting and appointment information next. All meetings and travel arrangements should be listed in chronological order so the traveler can look through his itinerary and see exactly what is next based on where he has been. For meetings, list the name of the destination, the name and phone number of a contact person there, the time of the meeting and expected duration. Attach driving directions if the traveler will be driving himself to appointments.

List vehicle rental or taxicab company information at the bottom of the itinerary. If the trip will be in multiple cities or involve multiple rentals, list them at the bottom of the day they apply to. Include the name and phone number of the rental company, the type of car reserved and reservation confirmation number. Also list the pickup day and time and the return date and time.

Detail hotel accommodations at the end of each day they apply to if there is more than one reservation or destination. Include the hotel name, address and phone number and the reservation confirmation number. Always include the check-in date and time and the check-out date and time, as well as the number of nights the reservation is for. If the traveler will be driving himself to the hotel, include driving directions from the airport or the last meeting or appointment of the day, depending on the timing.

Provide return flight or rail information last in the chronological list but before any car rental or hotel information if it is not listed chronologically. Provide all of the same information for return travel as you did for the departing flights.

Tip

Print a hard copy of the itinerary for yourself and the traveler if it is not you. Email it to all parties as well, so that if the paper copy becomes lost the traveler does not!

References

About the Author

Based in Austin, Texas, Carrie Burns has been writing professionally since 2004, primarily ghostwriting corporate white papers and reviewing local theater productions. She has also spent time devising new works with cutting-edge theater ensembles. Burns holds a Bachelor of Arts in theater from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.